Calendars for Humans - How to Undo the All-day Cram
summary
Too many meetings turn systems into push schedules; the practical fix is to reserve D1/D2 90–120 minute blocks for makers, pair management meetings into a manager schedule, and add Pomodoro 30-minute focus and office hours/Do Not Disturb windows to cut interruptions. Measure impact with a flow time chart with revenue/protection/unplanned work so unplanned work (31% in a cited poll) and excess WIP (40%) become visible; experiments using these changes win budget and headcount, reduce cycle time and improve predictability (90th percentile 8–20 days).
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chapters (19)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:04Too many meetings in the calendar
- 2:08Common calendar types
- 7:22The new approach
- 9:39Ideal calendar
- 11:35Creative maker time
- 15:23Office hours
- 20:53Meeting culture
- 24:00Dominicas background
- 26:28Metrics
- 27:17Work Item Types
- 28:51Productivity
- 30:40Quality
- 31:54Predictability
- 34:31Visualization
- 36:42Protect your time
- 37:09Stickers
- 37:31Get a copy
- 38:28Questions
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